Buying Portable Vape, Need Your Expertise

Hey guys! So I like the idea of this website a lot and this is my first time being here!

Anyways, let me start off with one thing: I have never smoked weed. The whole reason I'm here is to find out information about it so I can be educated when I do try it, and do it in the safest way possible. I probably will only be vaping when I do smoke (vape!), so that's why I'm here! I will, obviously, try it before I actually buy any vaporizer, but I'm here to find stuff out, so please bear with me

I have some concerns: mostly, of course, combustion and toxins.
It seems to me that many "vaporizers" actually have a huge problem with combustion, and some have the herb directly touching a "heat coil", causing it to combust and you're really just inhaling smoke. This is not what I want at all!

My number one concern with buying a vaporizer is combustion, and any sort of toxins that I could get from inhaling the vapor. Any information regarding these issues would be greatly appreciated and please feel free to go in depth.

Let me lay down the stuff I would need in my vaporizer:

Must be portable, small, and at least sorta discreet

Must be no more than $200

Must have NO combustion

Preferably doesn't leave a smell

Preferably convection

Easy ish to use

Very low chance of me doing something wrong and ending up having combustion in the vaporizer

Be very safe with very little toxins

Will not be used in a party setting, probably used by a max of 3 people at one time

1) Do a lot of common vaporizers have a lot of combustion?
2) How can I tell if the vaporizer I want to buy will have combustion problems?
3) Which is better to use in a vaporizer- wax or weed flowers? and how/why?
4) Which is cheaper to use in a vaporizer- wax or weed flowers?
5) How can I assure that I'm not inhaling toxins/smoke when I'm using the vaporizer?
6) Do I need to stir the herb or wax if I'm using a conduction vaporizer?
7) Are there any convection vaporizers that meet my criteria?
8) Convection vaporizers are generally better than conduction vaporizers- right?
9) How do you use the vaporizer anyways? How is it different with wax and weed flowers?
10) Is it true that the only way for a conduction vaporizer to truly not have combustion is by using a glass shield?
11) How many inhales of a vape does it usually take to get high?

Sorry guys for being such a total and utter newb to all this. I've tried reading up on this a lot, and I hope none of my questions were bothersome

I'm sure you all will be very nice and friendly to me even though I'm totally in the dark about all this stuff, and please excuse that I know so little about this. I'm just very concerned with my safety when using a vaporizer, and don't want to be inhaling a bunch of toxins.

Thanks a lot guys!

Edit: Also, feel free to inform me on anything you feel I need to know!

The best portable vape on the market for your price range is the Airizer Solo - it looks ugly, but I absolutely regret not buying that as my portable vape. Just look at how huge the thread is for the Solo on this site - there are over 1100 PAGES of discussion about that vaporizer!

Here's some answers to your questions

1) Combustion is dependent on temperature. We usually vape between 340F and 450F - never above that (tar forms at 465F I believe) - I generally prefer to stay between 330F and 400F.

Any vaporizers you know of that cause combustion are most likely not true vaporizers intended for raw herb (many e-cig type vaporizers with the metal coil are intended for vaping concentrates, not ground herb).

I only have 1 vaporizer that can cause accidental combustion - the Lotus vaporizer - but that's because you use a butane torch to heat the hotplate - this is a very "manual" vape - fun, fast and rewarding, but in the hands of a newbie - its easy to combust. But this is not a traditional vaporizer by any means (just look up some videos of it)

2) Combustion tastes way different than vaporizing - you'll know VERY fast that you're combusting

3) Concentrates are more effective and easier to use in stealth vapes like e-cigs. I prefer the taste and effects of raw herb myself - but it's all about personal preference

4) Can't answer, I don't use wax/concentrates

5) The beautiful part about vaporizing is that you can choose what temperatures you want to vape at. You can choose how much possible toxin you release into your body from the herb. Many people never go above 390F because there are carcinogenics released at 400F and above (One test 13 years ago found traces of Benzene at 392F, but those findings are questionable and I don't believe the results have been reproduced in other tests) . You'll find some people on here who use herb only for medicinal purposes and never vape above 370F! The cool part about a good vape (like the Solo) is that you can set different temperatures and experiment with the effects. Many of us find we like low temperature sessions in the early morning so we can still function. While later in the evening when we want to settle down and relax on the couch, we crank up the temperature to 390F+.

6) I personally stir my raw herb after every hit - but it depends on the vape. Some require more stirring, others hardly need any. (Note this also affects taste, so you might prefer to stir). Can't comment on concentrates

7) I rather enjoy Convection vapes. Even though I don't have one, I believe the solo is more Convection than conduction (though really all vapes use a combination of both to vape the herb - conduction vapes like the Ascent do offer some mild convection heating, but only once the load is already hot, not at the start of the session)

8) Yes, convection vapes in my opinion are better than Conduction vapes. I have two vapes that use primarily convection heat, and one vape that uses conduction heat. My convection vape sessions last under 10 minutes. My conduction vape requires 30+ minutes for the same session.

9) Not sure what you mean by how we "use" it - we put the herb in, set the temperature low, enjoy flavor country for a bit, and then crank up the temperature little by little (depending on the vape and how long our session is). Or for my other vape, I pop in a nugget (unground), toss it on my bubbler, and have at it, stir, and hit another 2 or 3 times before I empty the load

10) I think you need to understand conduction vapes do not mean uncontrolled high temperature. I have a Davinci Ascent (not recommended for current manufacturing issues and a design flaw) which uses conduction heat. It's a glazed ceramic oven with a conduction wire on the outside of the oven. My herb never comes into contact with a hot wire. Nor is there any way to combust with that vape (you can get up to 430F, but not any higher). My friend has a PAX which has an all metal oven. It does not combust the herb. Because there are temperature sensors that regulate the temperature of the oven.

I'm assuming all your combustion knowledge and conduction vapes has been with cheap E-cig pens. These suck in my opinion for vaping raw herb. There is not one true vape on the market that looks like an e-cig which can handle raw flowers. There are a lot of cheap (under $100) vapes with a metal coil used to vape raw flowers, but these don't work well at all

11) It all depends on the herb and the vape. With my Ascent vape (30 minute sessions) - you need 50+ draws before you feel effects. From my Lotus vape, two hits. For my Nano, one hit for my friends (my tolerance is way high right now).

This is a great site, full of people from all walks of life. You'll find more info than you could ever imagine about herb and vaporizing.

Do yourself a favor - start with the Airizer Solo - I really really really regret not buying that as my first portable vape. Spend about a week on this site, and you'll get the impression every other person on this site has (or had) a Solo in their collection at some point. Hell, even though I have 3 vapes, I'll probably buy one off the classifieds at some point down the line just to have it in my collection!

(Edit - just read that you're a newbie to smoking as well, sorry if I wrote this as if you knew about herb. I'm not a medical user officially, but in my opinion this green herb changed my life. Helped me work out some major psychological issues from childhood when I started smoking in my 20's. I don't take any other medication for anything, this is my only medication which helps me control my anxiety and stress. I wouldn't trade this substance for anything in the world. I only wish my family's perception of the drug would change. My mother could REALLY benefit from it, but my conservative father would KILL me if he ever knew).

Again, welcome to the site. Please review the rules as the mods here are pretty picky (which is totally justified given the subject matter)

Dude, thanks so much! That was an amazing read with toooooons of good info! I really appreciate the reply.

The reason i was asking about not genuine vapes that combust is mostly because of the Atom vape.

Could anyone with experience with both wax/concentrates and raw herb chime in?

Edit: The arizer solo seems great, i even saw it in a vid recently with this knowledgable guy explaining a bunch of stuff about vapes. Its just so big though!! Im not sure i could conceal it, let alone be mobile with it. But if you really think its the best option, i could probably go with it.

Heh, Somehow i knew you were thinking about those vapes. My friend heard me raving about vaporizers, and paid $40 for an Atmos vaporizer on Godaddy - of course it's just the same - pure shit for vaping flowers (easy to combust unless you learn some 'hacks' to make it work - but not perfectly)

Sadly there isn't any really stealth options out there for raw flowers. The Solo is pretty large, but it is the best out there for portable vapes under $200. The Pinnacle Pro sounds good, but there seems to be a lot of complaints about quality (otherwise it would be a nice smaller vape, but the taste is harsh)

If you are looking for something smaller than the Solo, the PAX is a great little vape for raw flower (but it does use conduction heating). The only downsides to the Pax are the taste and the necessity to clean religiously to keep it working properly.

I switched from vaping mostly flowers to vaping mostly concentrates due to both cost and stealth.

If neither of those factors weigh heavily on you, consider that only flowers will let you experience cannabis in all its glory. Concentrates get you high, but are often devoid of the sight smell and taste of this beloved plant. Very few people have retail access to tasty concentrates.

Okay thanks everyone for all the great info and suggestions! It sounds like the Solo will probably be my best option if I decide to go with raw flower.

However, cost does matter to me, and if concentrates are cheaper, im very interested. What good <$200 vaporizers are there for wax and concentrates, that still meet the requirements i said at the top?

Edit: stealth is fairly important to me as well, and a pen type vape that vapes wax would probably be really good! especially if wax is cheaper for the same high (is it?) and as long as combustion still isnt an issue! I still do like the idea of temp control though.

Whether concentrates are cheaper or more expensive for you is a matter of local demand and supply. Look at the menus of dispensaries near you who post labtest data, and do the math. Better yet, visit a dispensary with a well-equipped lounge. Get a gram of some sun-grown organic bud and a half-gram of wax, and use the lounge vapes. You will have the benefit of dispensary staff and experienced consumers standing by to assist you.

My reasoning in choosing a vape device is reverse from yours. I start with considering what product I can most easily get ahold of, and then I choose the ideal device for it. So... what can you get your hands on? I personally would never consume black market concentrates. There are just too many shortcuts a shoddy waxmaker could take. Black market participants have no reputation to lose and money to gain by using cheap (dirty) solvents. At least with flowers, you can learn to identify different kinds of mold with a 'scope.

You could learn to make concentrates yourself, which would put you in control of every aspect of its production. (although the same argument can be made for growing your own flowers) It is a big investment in education, so it makes sense to embark on that journey only later down the road. You don't even know if you'll enjoy cannabis yet -- believe it or not many people don't like it, and some find it "meh".

As for equipment, I have a very low regard for "vape pens" although many people here are happy with them. They may work well enough for occasional recreational use, but they do not stand up to the task of all day vaping. There are electronic cigarette devices that do -- but not the inexpensive ones that look like vape pens. Ecigs will require you to use a carrier liquid to dilute the wax, so that it will flow and wick. That violates the "no toxins" requirement, as the carrier liquid is toxic in very large quantities. (although the same can be said of water and table salt) The only straight wax vaporizer I will endorse (Persei + Hercules) does not meet the <$200 requirement.

Sounds like wax/concentrates are probably not the ideal for me! I definitely don't want anything shady and probably won't be buying from a dispensary (although it's a possibility). I certainly won't make my own concentrates. Maybe flowers are the way to go!

Also, I won't be all day vaping anyways.

Are there any more portable vapes than the solo that are more stealthy?

And any more info on vape pens anyways, for concentrates, with more safety info?

You get the flavor from the flowers, when you vape you are able to experience the taste. Wax tastes terrible. I mix wax in with my herb in my Solo. It doesn't make a mess. You can put wax in cotton with the Solo too. I'm not sure if you said if you are going to be getting mmj. Depending on the area the prices probably vary. I live in the Pacific Northwest and 2 tiny little tins of wax BHO is $25. Flowers you get more for your money, last longer and more economical.

If you end up like using the wax a lot, I would get something like an e-cig for concentrates or wax. I use wax just at night. I do have the Dabbler for wax and it works fine for what it's for, but I personally like it mixed with flowers using my Solo.

The Solo is a bit chubby, but not that big about the size of a can of Red Bull. It's not as sleek as something like the pinnacle Pro, but don't let looks deceive you. The Solo is made with materials that can withstand the high temps that comes along with vaporizing. The Pinnacle pro has been having some problems with brittle plastic due to high heat. IMO the Pinnacle Pro isn't as flavorful as some other portables. The warranty from VaporBlunt we are being told does not cover breaking plastic. I personally have 2 that have cracks by where the mouthpiece attaches. I haven't been recommending it to friends.

If you have any problems with the Solo it can be easily exchanged if you buy one through an authorized vendor, such as those on FC.

The Ascent is a nice vaporizer and many folks have had great experience with it and some have not. I think at this point most the bugs are worked out. I wouldnt suggest the Ascent for a first vape. There is a bit of a learning curve with the Ascent but not with the Solo. I do have the Ascent and I like it a lot. The Solo smells the least of my 4 different portable vaporizers that I have.

Read through some of the threads, there's also the Firefly and the Indica vapes, but they are fairly new. I would stay away from anything less than a year old. Sometimes it comes down to personal preference and how and where you will be vaping.

It's up to you ! It works both ways for me, unground bud gives me bigger taste and longer sessions with less visible vapor on exhale but the same buzz. It all just depends what you like, I grind herbs probably 50% of the time just because its a little faster just to suck herbs into the stem out of my JyARz container and go, but sitting around in the evening I often just kinda roll a little bud into a ball, shove it in a stem and vape away.

It's all good !

Edit; @Highplanedrifter I found in my use (and I'm only speaking for me) That I put more ground bud into a bowl then whole buds( weight wise anyways) since I pack my bowls tighter then I do with a piece of a bud.

I've loved the Firewood lately. It basically qualifies into all of your desired credentials in my opinion. It does take a slight learning curve though, but patience provides the best results. After two days I got it down to a science and it's greatly rewarding.

Does anyone know the cheapest (but safe and reliable) place to buy a genuine Solo? I saw some on ebay new for like $130 but i dont trust that...

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I think most FC'ers will tell you to talk to Randy at puffitup.com

E-mail him (that's the easiest way) if you need to do a price match. But he offers a fair sale price ($160) for it and does all the warranty stuff himself, so it's definitely worth getting it from him. I forget what the code is but it's on the page's blog.

He's not the only place, but a lot of us on here really like him and want to support him whenever possible.

An important thing to consider that with the Solo you can really conserve your herb. So you start saving money right off the bat.

I bought my most recent Solo from Puffitup. I had a problem my Solo stopped working unless it was plugged in. I was able to send my unit back without paying for shipping costs. Randy sent a label via computer and I was able to ship back and I had a new one in 10 days. I highly recommend Puffitup.

You may think you are saving ordering from some of those other online stores because you want to save $20. Not always a wise choice, you want peace of mind that if anything goes wrong you won't get screwed. Vape on.

Looks like you're set on the Solo - I just wanted to chime in that as a complete MJ noob myself almost exactly two years ago, I highly recommend it as a first vape (and it was these great folks here who recommended it to me, too). You don't say where you're from - but puffitup is great if you're in the US, however I'd recommend planetvape.ca if you're in Canada (best price in Canada that I've seen). That way you don't have to deal with border issues if on the off chance your Solo malfunctions and you need to exchange it.